The last match in the Group One at the 1974 World Cup was a dead rubber. The two teams playing in this game had qualified for the next round. In fact, the winner of this match would be facing a tougher challenge in the second round of the tournament. Hence, even if a team lost this one, it would have ended up winning an important battle in a long run.
However, these permutations and combinations affected nobody in these two teams. They had much more to play for. More than a win or loss, there was history and reputation at stake. This was East Germany taking on West Germany. This was not just a football game between two countries. This match was going to be reflection of political symbolism. Capitalism taking on Communism. A country divided into two, courtesy of a world war, was going to battle it out in the middle of the football pitch.